Rattle N Roll Takes on Bill Mott Duo in Ben Ali

Rattle N Roll , the grade 1-winning, well-traveled son of Connect  , returns April 18 to Keeneland in search of a second win in the $350,000 Ben Ali Stakes (G3).

Trained by Kenny McPeek, the 7-year-old will be making his first United States start of 2026. Rattle N Roll traveled to Saudi Arabia to compete in the Saudi Cup (G1), where he finished ninth. Last year, he also traveled to Saudi Arabia and Dubai, beginning that season by winning the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup (G3), but was off the board in the Saudi Cup and Dubai World Cup (G1). He ended 2025 with a win in the Tinsel Stakes at Oaklawn Park.

With 31 starts, 11 wins, and $3,938,941 million in earnings, Rattle N Roll's most notable win came as a 2-year-old in 2021 when he won the Breeders' Futurity (G1). Owned by Sharaf Mohammed Al Hariri and Lucky Seven Stable, he is looking for his second win in the 1 3/16-mile Ben Ali Stakes, having won the 2023 edition. He is listed as the second betting choice at odds of 3-1. 

Rattle N Roll will have to face a 1-2 punch from Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, who brings in the morning-line favorite Batten Down  and the Not This Time   colt Stars and Stripes .

Batten Down, a Juddmonte homebred, is out of multiple grade 1 winner Close Hatches . The son of Tapit   is a full brother to 2025 Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) winner Scylla  and multiple grade 2 winner Tacitus  . The ridgling has been slated as the 2-1 favorite and is coming off a win in the Pig Trail Overnight Stakes at Oaklawn Park.

Batten Down broke his maiden on his fourth try and immediately followed that up with a win in the 2024 Ohio Derby (G3). He went on to run third in the Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) and fifth in the Travers Stakes (G1). He only raced twice in 2025, finishing off the board in two stakes races. He returned this year as a 5-year-old, running third in an allowance optional claiming race before securing his Oaklawn stakes win. 

At morning-line odds of 4-1, 4-year-old Stars and Stripes is coming off a win in an allowance optional claiming race at Oaklawn. Lightly raced, the Frassetto Stables-owned colt has won three of his six starts and is looking for his first stakes win. His only attempt in stakes company came in the 2025 Dwyer Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack, where he was a distant fourth to Disco Time .

The field of nine also includes last year's winner, Tennessee Lamb . The son of Tonalist   returned to the races March 1 at Gulfstream Park after a nine-month layoff. Trained by Rusty Arnold, the Calumet Farm homebred looks to be just the fourth horse to win the Ben Ali Stakes in back-to-back years and first since 1984.